Love Island star Sharon Gaffka has revealed that cruel trolls compared her to Lucy Letby after she had an abortion.

The 29-year-old former reality TV personality, who was a contestant on a dating show in 2021, has transitioned into activism and recently shared her experience of having an at-home early medical abortion, describing it as ‘painful, lonely, and traumatising.’

Sharon has now said that although she doesn’t regret having an abortion, it was the ‘hardest decision’ she has ever had to make.

The former civil servant explained how trolls compared her to child serial killer Letby when she shared her story with her followers in June.

She discussed her decision to have an abortion on the Her Discussions Podcast with Dr Faye Bate, as reported by NeedToKnow.

She reflected, ‘This is undoubtedly the hardest choice I’ve ever had to make. Whether or not it was the “right” choice is irrelevant because it was absolutely the necessary one for me.’

Love Island star Sharon Gaffka has revealed that cruel trolls compared her to Lucy Letby after she had an abortion

The activist, who appeared on the show in 2021, opened up about her experience with an early medical abortion at home, describing it as ‘painful, lonely, and traumatising.’

‘I don’t regret it at all. So when people sit there and say ‘you took the easy way out’, trust me, it was not easy.

‘I had to live with the emotional trauma of going through something so physical, and I had some horrific messages.

‘I had someone call me Lucy Letby 2.0. I had people threaten to dox me all because I had an abortion.’

Dr Bate responded: ‘One in three women will get an abortion in their lifetime. This isn’t some niche thing that’s going on, and it’s always gone on.

‘Before it was legal, it’s gone on unsafely behind closed doors.’

Previously, Sharon disclosed that she experienced a miscarriage during the first trimester of her pregnancy, just a few months after leaving the Love Island villa.

And last Saturday, Sharon shared a post to her Instagram followers to raise awareness of Baby Loss Awareness Week.

She shared, ‘This week marks baby loss awareness week. I hesitated to share this, but experiencing both a miscarriage and an abortion has profoundly impacted me in ways I’m still discovering.’

In a recent interview, she revealed, ‘I had someone compare me to Lucy Letby and had threats of being doxxed all because I decided to have an abortion’ (pictured in her Love Island promotional image).

Sharon previously revealed that she also suffered a miscarriage in the first trimester of her pregnancy, just months after leaving the Love Island villa

‘Both were losses. Both changed me. Both deserve compassion.

‘It’s complicated, grief, guilt, relief, and love are all sitting side by side. If you’ve been through any kind of baby loss, please know you’re not alone in it.’

Fans thanked her for sharing her story.

They penned: ‘Sharon you are incredible and I am forever in awe of you.’,

‘Sending you love. Thank you for sharing your story, it will help someone more than you ever realise.’,

‘You are incredible. This is such an important conversation that will help so many people.’,

‘Thank you for sharing your story which will help so many women out there.’

In August 2023, Sharon revealed that she suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage back in 2021.

Taking to Instagram, the reality star issued a trigger warning and shared a teary selfie as she opened up about her tragic pregnancy loss for the first time. 

Detailing her pain, Sharon explained that she’d been ‘trying to find the strength’ to open up about the loss that she’d spent the past 18 months healing from, admitting she was initially scared of people commenting on her miscarriage. 

During the emotional post, Sharon also revealed that that week would have marked her baby’s first birthday and that the grief she felt due to the date hit her ‘like a train’. 

She added at the time, she’d found it ‘incredibly tough to function’ as normal, telling her fans she didn’t share her news for ‘sympathy’, but simply for her ‘own healing’.

Her heartbreaking caption read: ‘TW: pregnancy loss. You know that classic saying… ‘Be kind because you don’t know what someone is going through’, I’ve been trying to find the strength to be open about something I’ve been healing from for the past eighteen months.

‘I want to start by saying that everyone’s healing process is different. The foetus I miscarried would’ve been celebrating their first birthday this week. Which hit me like a train and I have surprisingly found it incredibly tough to function as I normally would.

‘Miscarriage affects 1 in 4 women in the UK. While I know I’m not the only one to have experience such loss, I’ve struggled with finding a space where the unique emotional journey that those who don’t envision motherhood in their future go through when facing such a loss, being talked about openly.

‘For individuals who never intended to become parents, the grief following a miscarriage is confusing. The traditional narrative surrounding motherhood doesn’t apply, making it challenging to find spaces that resonate with their feelings.’

The TV star continued: ‘My healing process has had to come in stages, weirdly one of the things I was the most scared about was people finding out and having strangers comment on it. 

‘But once those feelings passed, I’ve had to contend with feelings of failure. How as such an ‘accomplished’ woman – can I be a failure? I can only put it down to societal norms that as a woman, this is what my body ‘is supposed to do’, which has only amplified the grief.

‘Grief is not a linear process, I’m tired of being told that time is healer and this truth is especially evident in the aftermath of miscarriage for those who never planned to have children. Feelings of loss, confusion, guilt, and even relief can surface unexpectedly, and these emotions are all valid.

Taking to Instagram, the reality star issued a trigger warning and shared a teary selfie as she opened up about her tragic pregnancy loss for the first time

‘Breaking the silence surrounding miscarriage is crucial. For individuals who don’t want children, opening up these conversations can lead to validation, understanding, and a sense of community.

‘Putting this into the public domain isn’t for sympathy, it’s for my own healing so thank you for reading this far if you did.’

Sharon’s post was met with a plethora of kind comments from fans who expressed their sympathies over her loss. 

Sharon appeared on the seventh series of the ITV2 dating show in 2021, where she was fifth to be dumped from the island. 

If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk or by calling 01924 200 799.